18. Whirly Twirly Fear-Filled Duck

F eeling utterly baffled, yet not surprised, Turney stared at his boyfriend for a brief moment, before saying, “No, Octavius.”

“But it would be funnn!” the vampire whined.

“It would be dangerous.”

“Oh, come on! Just once!” Octavius cried. The man was obviously trying to make him cave by popping his bottom lip out, and staring at him with his large ocean-blue eyes.

“Octavius, you are not riding in my pocket as I go down a slide, and that is final!” Turney stated firmly.

“But, why not?!”

“Because we just saw someone decapitated!” he cried. “ We don’t need you getting hurt, just because you want to have fun !”

Octavius huffed and puffed, pouting fiercely for a minute, before loudly crying, “FINE!”

Scarlett patted him on the shoulder. “Good job.”

“Stop taking his side!” the vampire hissed.

She snickered. “No.”

“I'm done with slides.” The vampire pouted. “Let’s go on the Whirly Twirly Duck Ride.”

“What is with these ride names?” Min-ji asked, her nose wrinkling.

He shrugged. “I'm guessing they wanted to keep the duck theme going?”

“Go now, questions later!” Octavius huffed as he started prodding them all in one direction.

Turney eyed the so-called ride when they reached it, noting there was no line. There were five oblong metal pods, looking to be about nine feet tall by five feet wide. Each one had two steps in front, leading to the open oblong doors with a small circular window, which appeared to be the only view inside when closed.

Because the doors were open, Turney could see that the walls were at least six inches thick. Tubes, and what looked like electrical lines, ran off behind them to, what he guessed was, whatever powered them to…do whatever they were supposed to do.

A large sign saying The Whirly Twirly Duck Ride sat near where a line would likely form. There was a picture of what looked like ducks in a water tornado beneath the ride name. Just past the sign, a man stood next to a free-standing control box that was likely for the ride.

“Lucky you, no wait!” the human chimed happily, as he waved them forward and then guided them to one of the pods.

Turney was silent as he followed Octavius inside, Min-ji and Scarlett entering behind him. The inside was fully metal, with four harness-fitted seats situated between long metal grab bars that cut off halfway. Turney remained silent as the person who was running the ride helped them get seated and strapped in. Him and Octavius were next to each other, with Min-ji and Scarlett across from them. He grabbed on to the bars on either side of him, as instructed.

“What exactly…is supposed to happen?” he asked once the thick door was closed.

“Oh! Well, it’s sort of like one of those bottle tornados. You know, with water. The tank is supposed to fill, and then it spins like a tornado!” Octavius informed them, with a way too delighted giggle.

Turney grimaced. “That sounds…not fun.”

“What?! No, it will be fun! I mean, we’ll get spun and splashed with water. And based on the videos I watched, the water only goes up waist high.” The vampire looked around. “Oh, there, that line. It goes up to that line.”

He glanced over and there was a red line on the wall, all the way around, about waist high. Well, it was slightly lower for him and Octavius because of their height.

Scarlett let out a heavy sigh. “Why would anyone want to experience a tornado, let alone a water one?”

“Thrill-seekers?” Min-ji suggested.

Octavius huffed as the door made a sound that he was assuming meant it was sealed. “It will be fun, you’ll see!”

Octavius let out an excited laugh as water began to fill the tank. “It’s starting!”

A minute later, he found himself thoroughly…unimpressed. Water splashed him in the face, while the tank spun a few times before rocking back and forth, the actions repeating in cycles. Tossing his head a few times, to get a strand of hair out of his face, Octavius found that the others looked about as impressed as he was.

With copper hair plastered to the sides of her freckled face, and looking deathly pale without her make-up, Scarlett did not seem pleased to be sitting there. Based on the wrinkling of her pert, upturned nose, and her narrowed emerald-green eyes, she was decidedly displeased.

Turney was about the same paleness-wise, and with his face scrunched up a bit, the zombie looked adorably irritated in his pink swim trunks. The scars on his body had faded nicely. Now they were just outlined by darker skin around the edges, with pale white in the middle. One could see them, yes, but they were not as bad as he knew Turney still viewed them.

Min-ji’s natural lightly-tanned skin was looking a bit paler, and based on the goosebumps he saw, she apparently was cold. Like Scarlett, her pert nose was wrinkled, and her plush lips were pursed, but her face, honestly…didn’t look too different without the light make-up she usually wore.

That aside, he had to say, he was quite impressed by the woman’s form, in a purely non-sexual way. With her only wearing a black bow bikini top, paired with matching skort bottoms, he could see how toned, and even muscular, her arms and legs were, along with her defined abs.

With her wearing a swimsuit, the runes etched on her body were out in the open. Some looked like solid black tattoos, others branding burns, while a few appeared as if they’d been carved into her skin. Frankly…the witch’s runes turned more heads than Turney’s scars ever would.

Sighing, Octavius admitted, “This…is not as fun as I imagined.” He started to pout, but sputtered as water hit him in the face.

“Is…the water getting higher?” Turney asked hesitantly, before closing his eyes as water slapped him.

“What?” He winced, wiping at his face when more water splashed him there directly. “No, it’s not getting higher, it’s just picking up speed. The water is already at the fill line.”

“No…” Scarlett hissed. “It’s getting higher!”

He frowned. Looking towards the walls, his eyes widened when he realized they were right. The water that had been barely past his thighs at the start, was slowly creeping up past his waist now.

“How long does this ride last?” Min-ji asked, her expression grim.

Octavius winced as he remembered the time listed in the brochure. “It lasts…thirteen minutes.”

“Thirteen minutes?! Why the hell would it last thirteen minutes?!” Turney gasped, before choking a bit as a wave of water rushed over his head, following a particularly hard rock of the tank.

“I don’t know! But the time is counting down on the wall.”

He pointed up at the glowing red numbers on the wall above the women, only to quickly regain his hold on the bar. He slammed his eyes shut as the tank started to spin again, the water rushing over them violently as it did.

When the tank stopped spinning, and went back to rocking, Octavius wiped off his face. Scarlett did the same, while Min-ji and Turney coughed up water.

“Only two minutes have passed. That’s comforting!” Turney rasped when he stopped coughing.

“The water isn’t slowing,” the witch said breathlessly.

He eyed the rising water. Not only was it not slowing, the speed at which it was filling the tank was increasing. It was already past his chest now.

“And my rune just activated alerting me to danger,” Min-ji added seconds later with a hiss.

“Well…hell, everyone get up,” Octavius ordered.

The water was at his chin now, and was constantly splashing over him, but he reached down and broke the clip on his harness with one hard tug. Freeing one arm, he hugged the bar on that side, before wiggling fully free of the safety straps and standing up.

The others followed suit. Turney got up on his own, while Scarlett helped free Min-ji, before standing up herself. He glanced all around, looking for the best course of action as water continued to rise. Octavius slammed his eyes shut the moment the tank switched back to a spin cycle.

Turney had just wrapped both arms around a metal bar when the tank began to spin again. His head was throbbing by the time it stopped. “Fucking hell.”

Shaking his head, he eyed the others. Min-ji was looking very pale, while Scarlett was always pale… Octavius blinked a few times before shaking his head, as if a bit dizzy.

Glancing up at the clock, he cursed on noting there was ten minutes left. Looking all around, that’s when he saw it. “There’s an emergency panel behind you, Scarlett!” he yelled out.

Scarlett looked back and down into the water that was chest high yet again. Reaching into the water, the zombie tore the panel off, revealing a beautiful, glowing red button, and what looked like a speaker. She pressed it…nothing happened.

She pressed it again, and the light went out. Growling, Scarlett lifted her leg up and slammed her foot into the door. When she made contact, there was a loud boom…but it still didn’t open. There was barely even a dent.

“Hell—” Turney started to choke as he took in water down the wrong tube… Not that he needed to breathe, but water in your airpipe was not recommended, zombie or not.

“We got the conductor's attention,” Min-ji gasped.

He glanced at the window and found the ride operator peering in at them with wide, horrified eyes. They had eight minutes left, and the man was staring at them, instead of fucking doing something… How helpful! He almost sighed in relief when the human finally disappeared from the window.

“Min-ji, how long can you hold your breath?” Octavius asked, his expression closed down.

“I—” Whatever she was going to say was cut off when the tank started to spin again.

Turney took in a mouthful of water, which had him sounding like he was hacking up a lung by the time the ride went back to rocking again.

Min-ji didn’t sound much better. Clearing her throat, the witch shook her head before finally answering. “Not long.” She then admitted, “I don’t have any runes on me for that either.”

“Nothing?” Scarlett asked sharply.

The witch winced, her eyes crinkling. “I’ve…never had a reason…”

“The waterboarding during the witch trials wasn't enough of one?!” Turney snapped.

“I mean…like I said earlier, they never killed any actual witches,” Min-ji said stiffly. “And while there is one that would work, that I could carve into my skin… I’m not positive that I’m remembering it correctly. One wrong stroke and…”

“Boom,” Octavius said with a sigh.

“Boom?!” Turney croaked, tilting his head up as water started to flow above his chin. Not that it mattered much as it kept sweeping over him anyway.

“Magic—” Water splashing over Scarlett cut off her words. “Magic that is done incorrectly, especially rune magic, is extremely volatile. It’s why rune magic, despite the strength of it, fell out of use. One too many dead apprentices.”

She shook her wet hair out of her face as she finally finished. Flicking her gaze to Min-ji. “I’ll lift you up when the water goes higher. Only carve into yourself as a last resort. It does sound like they are trying to break in, though.”

Turney frowned, realizing he did hear banging and creaking. Those on the outside were trying to get in, but it didn’t sound like they were having any luck.

At that moment, Scarlett, who had pulled herself higher on the pole to keep her head from going under, let herself slide down under the water.

As the water was too high to talk now, they remained there, staring. Just before the water went past his nose, Turney drew in air, even though he didn’t need to breathe. It was hard to hold it in once the water lifted well above his head. The tank was violently rocking now, even more than before.

His gaze slipped to Octavius, who was staring at Min-ji and Scarlett, his eyes full of concern. Min-ji was now clinging to Scarlett, instead of the handlebar. Her arms were wrapped around the zombie’s neck, and the woman was lifting her up with one arm, so her head remained above water. Turney could feel Scarlett’s worry, and…fear. It was coming through their bond in waves, deepening with each second that passed, mixing with his own, the closer the water came to filling the entire tank.

He glanced up at the clock—five minutes left. Turney watched it tick by slowly, releasing the air in his mouth as he grew comfortable with the lack of it. With each tick, his heartbeat sped up a bit more. He tensed as Min-ji sank back down, looking to have taken a good, deep breath first, but the witch still clung to Scarlett. The other zombie held on, her eyes filling with the dread he felt hit his stomach. Dread that was both his and hers.

This was it… There was no air left…but they still had a little over three minutes left. Three minutes…that’s all Min-ji had to hold on.

But what if the door didn’t open?

Turney felt violently ill, all of a sudden, as a wave of abject terror that wasn’t his own had him crying out soundlessly. As water filled his lungs, his panic soared, even when the emotions cut off, leaving him emptier than before. He met Scarlett’s frightened gaze, which soon turned hard, before going just as empty as he currently felt.

“You will help me. And do ye know why, Sorcha?” The woman laughed, even as blood dripped from her mouth. “Because ye, all of ye, are mine to do with as I will.”

The words echoed in her head, and the laughter was just as mocking as the day Scarlett first heard it. But Audrey was long dead. She was not here, and the pull she felt in that moment, before the woman nearly drained her dry, was nothing compared to what she felt now.

Her stomach twisted painfully, as the fear she held for the witch was replaced by a too familiar terror. Her new bond’s demand for her to do something, to sacrifice, was a constant pressure, as if pressing up against her very skin.

That pull she’d felt before was nothing compared to this soul-crushing need. A need that was like a silent voice chanting in her head, demanding she provide with each beat her heart took. That she’d give it all; Energy… Power… Life…

It demanded she give it all up, as it was no longer hers, and it never would be again. A vessel…she was just a vessel for someone else’s use.

With her arm clenched around the witch, Scarlett fought against herself. Her skin was crawling wherever it touched the witch's. She wanted nothing more than to shove the woman away from her, as it began to feel like she was holding, at best, a stranger, and at worst, her enemy.

The terror swirling in her stomach was suddenly met by another’s, her gaze snapping to Turney. Staring into her neophyte’s fearful, confused eyes, Scarlett slammed the door shut between them, cutting him off from her emotions.

Scarlett flinched when she felt the witch begin to falter, the woman’s fear strong enough to feel. The need slammed into her hard, a searing pain that spread swiftly through Scarlett’s body. It felt like she was about to burst from her own skin, as she continued to deny the bond’s demand that she do something.

Do…something…? Why should I help a witch? she thought, as a familiar numbness began to spread inside her.

Nails digging into her flesh, finally had her looking into the witch’s eyes. Horror of a different kind swarmed along with shame, as she stared into the face of her lover, of Min-ji.

Once her head had finally cleared enough to remember who she held in her arms, she pressed her lips to Min-ji’s, sharing the air she’d gathered before going under.

Min-ji winced, closing her eyes as the burning need to breathe grew, while Scarlett’s hold on her tightened painfully. The woman’s fears were strong enough that they were breaking through the shields she’d put into place in odd bursts.

She’d never been the best at holding her breath. A fact she’d known well… Her lack of foresight to fix that was now biting her in the ass.

Scrunching her eyes shut, Min-ji dug her nails into Scarlett, as she did her best to hold on while her head throbbed, the burning sensation worsening.

Suddenly, Scarlett’s mouth was on hers. Her eyes snapped open wide, and she almost stupidly gasped in water as the first puff of air was pushed past her lips. The zombie had obviously filled her lungs with air before going under.

Desperately, she drew it in and held it. But it wasn’t long before it was depleted, and Scarlett pulled back.

Soon enough, the dizziness and the burning returned, as her vision started to flicker to black. Her body forced her mouth open, and water flooded into her lungs, while Min-ji’s vision went fully dark as she choked.

But just as she was about to risk blowing them all up with a badly sketched rune, the movement of the tank stopped. There was a loud creaking noise, followed by a whooshing one, as the door finally opened, and all of the water rushed out. Scarlett’s hold on her tightened, stopping her from being swept away with it.

As the water level dropped, she clung to Scarlett, coughing violently as her body purged the water from her lungs. When the pull of the water lessened, she sagged against the zombie, coughing still. The others around her were choking and coughing as well. By her guess, at least Octavius and Scarlett were faking it.

“No more—” she gasped, cutting off as she swallowed hard, her throat raw. “No more…small…enclosed…spaces,” Min-ji finished breathlessly.

Octavius faked another cough before saying, in the most normal, unlabored tone possible, “I can’t say I don’t agree.”

She winced as a medical team rushed in. This…may take some mind control to get out of , she thought with a tired sigh.